AT&T moving employees out of 44-story tower in downtown St. Louis

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ST. LOUIS, MO (KTVI) - It is one of the most familiar sights in downtown St. Louis. One Bell Center is 44 stories tall. AT&T confirms employees working inside the building will be moved to other AT&T offices in the St. Louis area. One of those offices is located right across the street on Pine.

AT&T is headquartered in Texas. A company spokeswoman said there are no layoffs. She said workers are taking advantage of technology and working flexibly. A union leader estimated there are about 2,000 workers left in the building.

A spokeswoman for St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay said a regional effort to lure a new business to fill the void will now begin.

"We`re always in communications with business, what sort of things are you looking for, how are you looking to grow," said Maggie Crane, mayor`s spokeswoman.

Crane said city leaders were not aware the move was coming. She went on to say AT&T has been getting out of the real estate business in other parts of the country so the move should to come as a surprise.

"This is an absolute opportunity," said Crane. "We have a 44-story building in the heart of downtown St. Louis."

Crane said the city is prepared to offer financial incentive packages to any business eyeing the office space. She said AT&T will be out of the building by 2015.